Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urged theRepublican-controlled House of Representatives to quickly takeup the bill, which includes $12 billion to repair and strengthenthe region's transportation system against future storms.

"There is no time to waste," Reid said.

Both chambers have to agreed on a package by Jan. 2, whenthe current term of Congress is expected to end, or restart theprocess of crafting legislation in 2013. The Senate approved thebill 62-32, with most Republicans voting no.

"We beat back all of the crippling amendments," said SenatorCharles Schumer, a Democrat from New York, which suffered thelargest monetary damage in the storm.

"The century-old tradition of different parts of the countryrallying to help those who are beleaguered because of difficultnatural disasters continues," Schumer said.

The bill's chances in the next few days could depend onwhether President Barack Obama and congressional leaders reach adeal to avert the "fiscal cliff" of tax increases and spendingcuts set to begin taking effect in the new year.

House Republican leaders have not yet decided whether totake up the Senate bill, a Republican aide said.

The bill also provides $17 billion in Community DevelopmentBlock Grants to help rebuild homes, schools, hospitals and otherbuildings destroyed by the late October storm, help smallbusinesses and improve the power infrastructure.

Senate Republicans complained the $60.4 billionreconstruction package requested by Obama is more than theannual budgets for the departments of Interior, Labor, Treasuryand Transportation combined.

HOUSE ACTION UNCLEAR

Senator Dan Coats, an Indiana Republican, offered analternative that would have provided $23.8 billion in funding tohelp victims of the storm through the end of March and giveCongress time to determine additional needs.

"Let me just say, we simply are allowing three months forthe Congress of the United States, the representatives of thetaxpayers' dollars, to assess, document and justify additionalexpenditures that go beyond emergency needs," Coats said justbefore his amendment was defeated.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers, aRepublican from Kentucky, would still prefer to pass a stop-gapbill to meet immediate needs and wait to do another packageafter better estimates come in, a committee aide said.

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated about $8.97billion of the Senate bill would be spent in 2013, with another$12.66 billion spent in 2014 and $11.59 billion spent in 2015.

The Senate bill is considerably less than the $82 billion inaid requested by New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, thestates that bore the brunt of damage from the storm.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican, was inWashington this month, lobbying lawmakers for the larger amount.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relieffund now has less than $5 billion available.

The damage to New York and New Jersey coastal areas was on ascale not seen since Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coastand flooded New Orleans in 2005. Two weeks after that storm hit,Congress approved $62.3 billion in emergency appropriations.

Lawmakers passed numerous subsequent emergency fundingrequests over several years to cover damages from Katrina, whichtopped $100 billion. A number of Gulf State Republicanssupported the Sandy relief bill.

Republicans were successful in requiring offsetting spendingcuts for $3.4 billion in mitigation work to prevent futuredisasters. Some Democrats said this would set a precedent forfuture disaster aid bills.